The Indianapolis Colts ' draft lineup is now known following a recent trade that the team made.
The Indianapolis Colts face a critical draft this offseason as the team is in "win now" mode, and the old ways of finding players with developmental upside may need to take a back seat to finding immediate contributors.
Currently, the team is in the throes of the first week of NFL free agency. Several internal players have exited to new teams, while the Colts have added some role players on defense.
Two of the more notable moves the Colts made recently were trades that sent linebacker Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They were able to get draft compensation in return for Pittman, while Franklin's trade was a player-for-player swap, acquiring defensive tackle Colby Wooden.
After the swapping of draft picks, here is the Colts' current slate entering the 2026 NFL Draft, from Thurs., April 23 to Sat., April 25.
- Round 2, pick 47
- Round 3, pick 78
- Round 4, pick 113
- Round 5, pick 156
- Round 6, pick 214 (from PIT)
- Round 7, pick 249
- Round 7, pick 254
The Colts were recently awarded two compensatory picks in the seventh round (picks 249 and 254) for last offseason's free agent losses of quarterback Joe Flacco and linebacker E.J. Speed.
Last season at the NFL trade deadline, the Colts traded their first-round picks in 2026 (pick 16) and 2027, along with wide receiver AD Mitchell, to the New York Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner.
Last summer, the Colts traded their sixth-round pick in 2026 (pick 196) to the Minnesota Vikings for cornerback Mekhi Blackmon.
This week, the Colts traded Pittman and their seventh-round pick in 2026 (pick 230) to the Steelers for a sixth-round selection in 2026, pick 214.
According to Colts general manager Chris Ballard, don't count on the Colts being done adding picks by the end of the process. Since he became the Colts' GM in 2017, they have traded back just over a dozen times in order to add extra picks, and he said he expects that to continue this April.
"We like to acquire picks," Ballard said recently at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I'm not saying we wouldn't move up in the draft, 'cause that's always a possibility, but there's a good chance that we'll end up moving back, and we're gonna end up getting, I think, two (compensatory) picks, so we're at seven (picks total). I would anticipate having more after it's all said and done."
While trading back during the draft is the most common way to acquire more picks, the Colts have already been active in the trade market, and they may not be done there, either.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. entered the trade block in February, and a player such as cornerback Jaylon Jones, who excelled under previous defensive coordinator Gus Bradley but has been seldom used under Lou Anarumo, could be moved as well.